Timer mechanism for gas-engine ignition.



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, TIMER MECHANISM FOR GAS ENGINE IGNITION.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-16. I914.

1,169,383. Patented Ja11.25, 1916.

tirrn STATES PATENT FFTQE,

' WILLARD E. DOW, 0F BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS.

TIMER MECHANISM FOR GAS-ENGINE IGNITTON.

" To all whom it may concern.'. I p

Be it known that I, VvrLnAn'o E. Dow, a

citizen of the'United States, and resident of Braintree, county of Norfolln Common wealth of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Timer Mechanisms for Gas- Engine Ignition, of which the following description' in connection with the accompanylng drawings, 15 a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts in each of theseveral views.

This lnvention relates to mechanlsm for controlling thetiming ofth-e electric spark commonly, used for gas engine ignition as to the duration and also as to thetlme of production thereof inthe cycle of movement.

'insured'atthe higher speeds. g

A further Ob ect of the inventlon 1s to provide 1n.'certa1nuses of the lnventlon,

preferably in conjunction with automatic means'for insuring an adequate spark pe riod, an arrangement whereby the time of spark production is automatically advanced as the higher speeds are reached and as is desirable for highest efficiency.

I preferably construct my improved" apparatus so that the spark may befadvanced by manual manipulation when desired as well asautomatically. In carrying out my invention'I preferably employ a centrifugal governor arranged to act on a movable circuit-controlling contact to vary the operation thereof as required.

#The invention will be "better understood from the 7 following detailed description taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings and will be thereafter pointedout in the'appendedclaims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an end view of a device constructed in ac cordance with my invention. Fig. 2 i'sa transverse sectional view on line 22 of Fig.

.4; Fig.3 is a transverse section on line 3 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

Application filed January 16, 1914. Serial No. 812,537.

of Fig. 4; Fig. 4 isa view of the device partly 1n plan and partly in horizontal section; Fig. 5 is a detail showing an arrangement of the contact controlling collar.

reversed from that of Fig. 4'; and Fig. 6 is a struction of the contact controlling collar and also showing the form of the centrifugal V governor levers.

A portion of thestationary frame work of the engine or generator is indicated at 1, this having a circular opening 2 to receive a sleeve 3 adgustably fitted therein and bear ing-at its end a disk plate 4. The sleeve 3 is clamped to the frame portion 1 with a capacityfor angular adjustment as by a screw bolt 5, the purpose of such angular adjustment being later explained. The disk 4 has fixed to its face a holder 6 for the stationary contact 7, this contact being of course suitably insulated and having usual provision for connection to the circuit. To the plate 4 is also pivoted at 8, a curved arm 9 carryfragmentary view showing a modified coning at-its outer end the movable-contact 1O adapted to be pressed against the fixed contact 7 by the action of a suitable spring 11 engaged with the arm 9 and reacting against a: pin 12 on the disk 4. The curved arm 9 has journaled thereto intermediate its length aroller 13, the periphery of which extends some little distance beyond the lateral limits of the arm itself. The arm 9 is moved outward against the action of spring 11 to break the circuit intermittently and keep it.

broken for the requisite intervals, by the action of a rotary sleeve or collar 14 which is equipped with raised portions 15 alternating with recessed portions 16 so that when a 9 is moved to break the circuit but when a recessed portion comes opposite the roller 13, the circuit is closed. The sleeve 14 is slid- V ably keyed to areduced outer portion 17 of a shaft 18 which is suitably connected to the engine for timed movement relative thereto. 1 The collar 14 is of considerable length relative to the width of the engaging roller 13 and the relative extents of the raised portions 15 and recesses 16 are varied along the length of the collar by having the shoulders therebetween parallel with the length of the collar on one side as indicated at 19 and inclined on the other side as indi .cated at 20. Thus with the collar, mounted as shown in Fig. lathe outer or left hand raised portion engages the roller 13 the arm portion of the collar presents relatively wide recesses and relatively narrow raised portions as compared with the inner or righthand end of the collar which, as shown, is in position to engage the roller 13. The collar l t is normally held in the position shown in Fig. a by a spring 21 encircling the shaft portion 17 and pressing against the inner end of this collar, the inner end of the spring having backing against the shoulder where the reduced shaft portionl'? merges into the larger shaft 18. Means is provided tomove the collar 16% endwise automatically as the speed increases and to an extent proportional to thcin'crease of speed and for this purpose I provide'a series of bent lever arms 22 shown as three in number pivoted at 23 to a block 24- secured to the shaft 17, these arms having'weights at their outer ends and rounded presser extremities 26 at their inner ends adapted to engage a washer 27 at the end of collar 14.. The arms 22 are bent as best shown inFig. so that when the collar 14 is in the normal or stationary low speed position shown, the weights 25 extend in toward the plane of the shaft at av con iderable angle from the perpendicular. With this construction it will be understood that as the shaft is speeded up the weights 25 will tend to swing toward perpendicular position pressing the collar 14: endwise or to the right in Fig. a and overcoming the spring 21 to an extent proportional to the increase of speed until at very high speed they finally become perpendicular to the shaft when the collar 14 is projected to the extreme right. It is to be observed that the disk 41- and the sleeve 3 have a passage 28 affording clearance for this endwise movement of the collar 11. The shaft portion 17 and the shaft 18 are journaled and held in accurate relation to the disk 4: and sleeve 3 by having a ball bearing 29 for the shaft in the inner portion of sleeve 3 and another ball bearing 30 for the outer end of the shaft carried by a yoke 31 fixed to the disk 4 as at 32. The outer end of the shaft portion 17 is threaded as seen at 33 to permit the arm carrying block 24: and a bearing block 34: adjacent thereto to be both threaded thereon and clamped by a lock nut It may now be understood that with the shaft 18 connected for timed rotation with the engine in the direction indicated by the arrow (1, and supposing the device to be used with a non-vibrating coil system, as the roller 13 rid'es up the shoulder l9'the contacts 10, 7 are separated and the spark in the engine simultaneously produced. At the lower speeds the roller then rides over the relatively wide righthand end of the raised port-ions15 keeping the contacts separated until nearly time for the next spark when as the roller drops into the next recess they can come. ose her- A h p ednc eases 1 W- ever, more time is required for the spring 11 to react and the inertia of the arm 9 to be overcome and hence to insure a proper closing of the contacts 10. 7 in time to produce the next spark of full size and duration, the collar 14; being moved to the right by the centrifugal action described brings a portion thereof into cooperative relation with the roller 13 where the raised portions 15 are progressively of relatively less extent and the recesses 16 relatively wider so that the contacts will always have time to come fully together before they are again moved apart to produce the next spark; thus making certain that the sparks shall be in every case and irrespective of speeds, of the full size and duration of which the apparatus is capable. The device is also adapted for use with a vibrating coil system and in such case the spark in the engine being of course produced when the contacts 10, 7 come together, it occurs as the roller 13 rides down the shoulder 20 into the recesses 16. Hence in this case the relative duration of the spark is lengthened as the speed is increased since the roller has a wider extent of recesses 16 to travel in as the collar 14 is moved to the right. Further with this use of the device the spark is advanced as the engine is speeded up on account of the forward incline of the shoulder 20 which determines the instant of spark production.

In Fig. 5 I show an arrangement wherein the collar 1-1- is reversed relative to that of Fig. In this case, assuming the use of the device with a non-vibrating coil, the spark is of. course produced as the roller rides up the inclined shoulder 20 and the spark is hence automatically advanced as the engine is speeded up by the automatic adjustment of the collar 1 1 through the action of the centrifugal governor. lVith this arrangement it is also possible to advance the spark manually, by angularly adjusting the sleeve 3 in its bearing socket 2 and clamp it in a new adjusted position by the clamp bolt 5 according to the extent of spark advance desired.

In Fig. 6 I show a form of the invention adapted for use with vibrating coils wherein the recesses 16 are wider at the left hand end of the coil than at the right hand end, the parallel shoulders- 19 permitting the roller to. ride down into the recess at the same time irrespective of the adjustment of the collar, and the shoulder 20, in this case inclined in the opposite direction to the preceding form, causing it to ride up and break the contact to terminate the spark at a later period as the device is speeded up; thus making a relatively prolonged spark at higher speeds. It will be understood that the invention can be embodied in other specific. forms without departing from the spirit thereo f and I therefore refer; to the 7 appended claims rather than to the fore going description to indicate the scope of the invention. r

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: H Y

1, A spark timer, comprising pair of contacts having provision for holding the same normally closed, one of said contacts being fixed and the' other contact mounted for reciprocating movement toward and p from said fixed contact, an engine driven element, a controller connected with said element for moving said reciprocating contact to contact opening 13051131011, said con-- troller' being constructed and arranged to vary the duration of opening of said contacts according to the position thereof, and

a centrifugal device symmetrically disposed at angularly. spaced apart points about said controller for adjustingthe same to different positions to vary the duration of contact opening. a

,2; A spark timer, comprising a housing,

an engine driven shaft extended there-- through, a pair of contacts normally closed, one thereof fixedto said housing and the contacts, 'one thereof being mounted on a movable arm with provision tobe spring Copies of this patent may be obtained for pressed against the other, an engine driven element, a controller collar slidable thereon and mounted to turn therewith, anda centrifugal device for sliding said collar, composed of a plurality'of elements arranged to act on said collar at symmetrically spaced apartpoints about its circumference. said collar having alternating raised and de pressed portions relatively varied in extent along its length adapted to engage said con tact carrying arm,-and having yielding pros. vision acting against said centrifugal device for normally keeping it at one limit of its sliding movement. V f

4. A sparlgtimer, comprising a pair of contacts, onecarried by a swinging arm, and normally spring pressed against the other, an engine driven element, a collar mounted to turn with and slide endwi se on, said engine driven element, and a centrifugal device composed of a plurality of elements arranged to act on said collar at symmetrically spaced'apart points about its circumference, there being a spring acting on said collar in. opposition to said centrifugal device, said collar having a plurality of alternating raised and recessed portions of relatively varied extent along its length, adapted to engage said contact carrying arm, said raised and recessed portions being separated by shoulders parallel with the collar at one side, and by shoulders inclined to the length of the collar at the other side.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 75 name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLARD E. DOW. Witnesses:

CLYDE L. Booms,

OARLOTTA NIX.

five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington,-D.C. v 

